China's Van Goghs (2016)
Dafen in Shenzhen, China, open for business since 1988, is now the world’s largest oil-painting village, providing employment to some 10,000 painters who produce replicas of the Western canon’s famous paintings. Most are destined to be sold in Europe, from street stalls close to the galleries holding the originals. With orders in the thousands and deadlines tight, painters labour relentlessly, knee-deep in their productions. A former peasant farmer, like many of the villagers, Zhao Xiaoyong has mastered the skills to reproduce Van Goghs. His immersion in the Dutch master’s every brushstroke has become a passion and a dream: he longs to see the originals and experience Van Gogh’s world. An invitation from one of Zhao’s main clients enables him to travel to Amsterdam and to encounter his inspiration. This revealing portrait of a peasant-turned-oil painter who falls under the spell of Van Gogh while producing replicas of his paintings provides surprising perspectives on Western culture and Chinese labour.
Primary Title
- China's Van Goghs
Date Broadcast
- Tuesday 17 October 2017
Release Year
- 2016
Start Time
- 20 : 30
Finish Time
- 21 : 50
Duration
- 80:00
Channel
- Arts Channel
Broadcaster
- Sky Network Television
Programme Description
- Dafen in Shenzhen, China, open for business since 1988, is now the world’s largest oil-painting village, providing employment to some 10,000 painters who produce replicas of the Western canon’s famous paintings. Most are destined to be sold in Europe, from street stalls close to the galleries holding the originals. With orders in the thousands and deadlines tight, painters labour relentlessly, knee-deep in their productions. A former peasant farmer, like many of the villagers, Zhao Xiaoyong has mastered the skills to reproduce Van Goghs. His immersion in the Dutch master’s every brushstroke has become a passion and a dream: he longs to see the originals and experience Van Gogh’s world. An invitation from one of Zhao’s main clients enables him to travel to Amsterdam and to encounter his inspiration. This revealing portrait of a peasant-turned-oil painter who falls under the spell of Van Gogh while producing replicas of his paintings provides surprising perspectives on Western culture and Chinese labour.
Classification
- G
Owning Collection
- Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- Chinese
Captioning Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Documentary films--China
- Art--China--Reproduction
- Art copyists--China--Shenzhen Shi
- Cultural industries--China
- Gogh, Vincent van, 1853-1890--Reproduction
Genres
- Art
- Documentary
Contributors
- Yu Haibo (Director)
- Yu Tianqi Kiki (Director)
- Yu Tianqi Kiki (Producer)
- Zhao Xiaoyong (Subject)
- Century Image Media (Production Unit)
- Trueworks (Production Unit)
Subjects
- Documentary films--China
- Art--China--Reproduction
- Art copyists--China--Shenzhen Shi
- Cultural industries--China
- Gogh, Vincent van, 1853-1890--Reproduction